Postcards From The Road
by justlook3
Summary: The mission in Collins Falls ends in success instead of failure. And Mabel Collins changes Jacob Stone's life in a completely unexpected way.


Their plans had succeeded and the people of Collins Falls that had been trapped for a hundred years out of phase were now free. Collins Falls had several new rather overwhelmed residents. And the unfortunate Victor Finch was now on his way home, confused but convinced that he'd suffered a bump on the head in the woods and that there were no aliens after all.

Jenkins had made arrangements to accompany Mabel to New York City where a trusted and discreet doctor would be able to remove her ground and allow her to live a normal life. Norman, now out of the phase and full reunited with his lady love, was very apologetic about his attitude and making plans to lead the newly freed townspeople into the 21st century. They'd all caught glimpses of the last 100 years, but only Mabel had fully lived it.

Stone and Mabel were walking in the woods near where the rogue light post had been. They both knew this was goodbye but it was difficult quite saying the words.

"So," Stone asked, "what's next for you?"

She smiled, "it's amazing actually having an option for a next. I only have a regular human lifespan now, but Jenkins thinks my body will start at 30 with the aging, so I have a good chunk of living left to do. I will probably have some recovery time after the surgery and I want to help Norman for a little while, but after that . . . ."

"There's Paris?" Stone asked with a chuckle.

"Yes," she turned to face him, noticing they were no longer walking. "This is goodbye, isn't it? I have your address, but I won't see you again, will I?"

Stone didn't reply, but the look on his face was all she needed. She smiled softly, "well, I always wanted to kiss a handsome stranger. I didn't think that would happen here in this town. And I can live with that, Jacob, as long as you make me one promise."

"Yeah?"

"You don't just travel for work. You find your time and you go out there and see the world you've only read about."

He nodded. "That I can promise. And you do the same, alright? You go out and make your stories real. You," he grinned, "kiss more handsome strangers."

"I'll do that," she moved closer to him and he moved a hand onto her cheek. "Au revoir, monsieur."

He softly kissed her and then pulled back, their foreheads touching. "Au revoir, ma'am."

They slowly broke apart as they could hear someone coming down the trail. By the time Cassandra came into view, they were standing a respectable distance apart. Mabel looked between Stone and Cassandra, a contemplative look on her face.

Cassandra blushed a little. "I'm sorry, Baird's ready to go back and she sent me to look for you. If you still wanna say goodbye, I'll just . . . ."

Mabel shook her head. "We already did. It's time for you to leave. Thank you so much, Cassandra. What you and your friends did for us . . . there's no way to fully thank you."

Cassandra blushed again, ducked her head. "All of you having a good life, that's thanks enough for me, for us. Maybe not Ezekiel."

Stone actually laughed, but Mabel didn't quite get it. Cassandra gave her a hug but Stone just nodded at her. They'd already said what they needed to. He fell into step with Cassandra going back up the hill and Mabel could hear Cassandra apologizing for the way she acted. She couldn't hear Stone's reply but she noticed he never once looked back.

It was just as well, their paths only met once and now they had their own lives to lead. And as soon as she could, Mabel Collins was going to live her life.

* * *

The first postcard arrived two months later, from New York City. It simply read _Healing nicely, should be ready to fly in a month or so._ Stone smiled and tacked it up on the bulletin board that was in his apartment's kitchen.

When he turned from the STEM Fair, waiting in his mailbox was a postcard showing JFK airport. It only said _First Flight_.

When he returned from the mission in Peru, there were two postcards in his box, one from London, the other Edinburgh. They both said _you should go._

Weeks and months passed, more missions, a few trips of his own. He'd get the occasional postcard from Mabel, usually only saying _you should go_ , though one of the Eiffel Tower said _it didn't rain_.

He had no way of contacting her, she'd only asked for his address and he knew she left Collins Falls behind her probably forever. Jenkins had set her up in an apartment while she recovered, but that was no longer in her name. Ezekiel had offered once to find an email for her but Stone had a feeling that Mabel didn't have one. She probably had a phone, but it wasn't worth it. He just hoped she knew that he hadn't forgotten his end of their bargain, even if work kept him busier than ever.

Less postcards came over the next few months and while Stone always appreciated getting one, his thoughts had become increasingly focused on another woman. He and Cassandra had become closer and closer, especially after they'd had to work a case in his hometown.

Then one day, roughly a year after he'd said goodbye to Mabel, a postcard with a picture of the Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome appeared in his mailbox. On the back it said, _you should take Cassandra here. I know there was more going on there than you said and I hope by now you're dating_.

Stone's jaw dropped. How did she know? Though he had to admit Cassandra's behavior that day had been a lot like jealousy. And it had been the turning point in their relationship, things had changed after Collins Falls.

Before he'd even thought the whole thing through, he was calling Cassandra and asking her to dinner.

On their one month anniversary, he explained the meaning behind the postcards she'd seen in his kitchen and asked her to pick one for a weekend getaway.

The postcards still came and they marked anniversaries and important events by picking a postcard and going there.

On their one year anniversary, Stone proposed to Cassandra on the Ponte Sant'Angelo.

For their honeymoon, they picked five postcards at random and visited.

After Cassandra's tumor was cured, they followed Mabel's postcards to Asia and had the time of their lives.

The postcards had dried up not long after that and they hoped that Mabel was okay. Cassandra suggested she'd finally decided to settle somewhere or that she simply had decided her message had gotten through to Stone. They both hoped that whatever had happened that Mabel was happy.

And over the next few years, they had other things to worry about.

* * *

Their fifth anniversary was coming up and Cassandra was staring at the bulletin board of postcards, now relocated into their house. She was balancing her infant son on her hip while Jacob chased their toddler daughter around the living room.

"Pick one yet?" he called.

"I'm thinking Sydney, I think the kids would like it. But don't tell Ezekiel, he'll be smug."

A week later, they were pushing a double stroller in Darling Harbour heading for the famous playground. Stone suddenly stopped and put a hand on Cassandra's arm. A brunette woman who had been taking photos had stopped dead and was staring at them. The man next to her, looking confused at his companion.

Cassandra and her husband exchanged glances, then he looked again at the woman and a smile slowly spread across his face. The woman took a step forward, her voice tentative, "Jacob?"

"Mabel?"

She beamed at him, "yes! I'm so glad, you remembered. And you and Cassandra? Oh my, you have babies!"

"Married five years today actually," Jacob smiled. "And these are our kids Jack and Samantha."

"Oh, that's so wonderful. I'd hoped . . . I was a little forward with that one postcard."

Cassandra grinned, her arm coming to rest around her husband's waist. "He asked me out the day he got that postcard, so I think it worked. And he proposed on the Ponte Sant'Angelo."

Mabel smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted. I'm sorry I stopped sending them, but I thought maybe it was time for both of us to move on. Oh, honey," she turned to the man who was standing there, looking a bit uncomfortable. "This is Jacob Stone and his wife Cassandra. We met years ago and they're really . . .well, they helped me out in a really tough situation. This is my husband Andrew," she said with smile. "He's a travel writer, so we make our living traveling."

They shook hands all around and Stone asked for just a couple of minutes to talk to Mabel alone. Cassandra nodded and decided to engage Andrew in conversation. He knew Sydney well, so she asked him some questions about places to go.

"Does he know?" Stone asked her.

She shook her head. "No, I've thought about telling him so many times. But how do you just say, honey, I'm actually one hundred and thirty-eight? Even you were taken aback when I reminded you and you're used to the unexpected. And honestly . . .I feel like those hundred years were just a dream. My life began when you and Cassandra came to Collins Falls. So that's the life that I live."

He smiled kindly. "I do understand. But I know a lot about keeping secrets Mabel. Some day they'll come back and bite you. "

She nodded and changed the subject. "So you, you've had a good life?"

"It took me a year to realize how I felt about Cassandra, but yes, I've had a great life. Work has always been crazy but since we had the babies, we've stepped back a bit. Gives us more time to travel. And our kids won't . . .well neither of us had the most supportive childhoods. Our babies will have nothing but love, support and acceptance. And you, you've had a good life?"

"I've had a great life. I kissed a handsome stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve and three years later, we're still together. It worked out for all of us. And that's all I wanted for both of us."

He smiled at her pleased, then looked over at his wife. The baby was fussing and Samantha looked like she was pulling on Cassandra's skirt.

"I think my family needs me, I should probably get back to them."

"As it should be," she smiled and hugged him. "Au revoir, monsieur."

"Au revoir, ma'am."

She walked away and took the hand of her husband. Both bid farewell to Cassandra as Stone leaned down to take his son out of the stroller and Cassandra turned her attention to their daughter. Then Mabel and her husband turned and left in the other direction. Neither couple watched the other go.

But two weeks later, a postcard addressed to the children came to their new address. _You should take them here_ was written on it.

And for years, they would get postcards with child and later teen friendly destinations on them.

The kids had an education of travel that other children could only dream of, thanks in part to the Back Door and to the postcards sent to them by a woman they didn't even remember.

And for the rest of their lives, two couples gave thanks to each other, even though they never met again.

The End


End file.
